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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · squash · spell · stem · rash · clip · cap · rule

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — government
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cap — a hat
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — a law
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com